Frequently Asked Questions – winter parking ban

1. Why not allow alternate side parking?

There have been many suggestions put forward over the years as alternatives to the overnight winter parking ban, including an alternate side parking system. Here are a few of the reasons why such a policy is not a practical solution for HRM:

• For small to moderate snow/ice events, a single overnight shift with prohibited parking usually provides adequate response. With an alternate side of the street policy in place, a double shift would be required regardless of the size of the snow event. For many events, this would automatically double the cost of the response.

• Winter conditions in HRM often result in snowfall followed by rain or quick melting. To prevent black ice from forming, snow must be cleared to the gutter on both sides of the street so that water will drain.

• If snow melts then freezes hard on one side of the street while waiting to be cleared on the second night, plows will ride up over the hard ice or will plow up large blocks of ice which will then fill driveway openings. As residents are not often able to remove these large blocks of ice, special response may be required.

2. Does the winter parking ban affect my residential parking exemption?

Residential and visitor parking exemptions allow vehicles to be exempted from the following parking restrictions on a specific street:

- One-hour or two-hour timed parking
- No parking for a particular 30-minute period in the morning and/or afternoon
- No parking for a particular one-hour period in the morning and/or afternoon

When in effect, the overnight winter parking ban restricts vehicles from being parked on any street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. This applies to everyone, regardless of weather conditions - even those who may have a residential parking exemption.

During the day a residential parking exemption would allow you to continue to park in these locations regardless of whether the overnight winter parking ban is in effect, but you would still be required to remove your vehicle from the street in the event of a storm or risk being ticketed and/or towed regardless of the exemption or time of day.

So basically, as long as you are not parked on-street between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., or during/after a storm, your residential parking exemption would still be valid.

How do I obtain a release for an impounded vehicle?

Registered Owners (RO) of impounded vehicles must obtain an impound release BEFORE going to the tow service storage facility. Releases for areas under the jurisdiction of the Halifax Regional Police can be obtained only at the Halifax Regional Police Headquarters located at 1975 Gottingen St. in Halifax.

Releases for areas under the jurisdiction of the RCMP would be made from the nearest RCMP detachment. Only the RO of a vehicle can obtain the impound release by providing photo ID confirming identity to the front desk attendant. If the RO is not available (for example, out of town), he or she may mail or courier a NOTARIZED letter designating another person to pick up the vehicle.

Only the original of the notarized letter is acceptable, not copies or faxes. In the letter, the RO must be very specific as to who will be picking up the vehicle, along with a detailed description of the vehicle itself (make, model, license plate number, etc.). With the impound release in hand, the RO or designate may then go to the appropriate towing service facility and pay the applicable tow and storage fees directly.

In order to drive the vehicle off the lot, the RO or designate must present:

• a valid driver’s license
• valid registration
• and proof of insurance.
  

Uninsured and unregistered vehicles cannot be driven out of the impound lot, but they may be towed to private property at the owner's expense.

At the present time RCMP do not have any contracted towing service. The current contract tow services for HRP jurisdiction areas are:

Halifax Peninsula and Mainland South Area: Ace Towing, 687 Prospect Road, (Goodwood)

Dartmouth Area: Ruggles Towing, 12 Lorne Drive (Westphal)

Mainland North, Bedford Area: A-1 Towing, 29 Skyridge Ave, (Lr Sackville)